Lin You was completely unaware of all this, thoroughly enjoying himself at the shooting range.
No—correction—his “research” was a tremendous success, with inspiration bursting forth continuously.
For example, he came up with an idea: the Bullet time triggered by activating the assassin’s bloodline could be developed into a bloodline system, divided into stages. As players gained experience and proficiency, the slowdown multiplier of Bullet time would increase, eventually approaching near-time-stop effects.
As for how to specifically divide the stages, how many stages there should be, and how much sensory acceleration each stage would provide—well… he planned to leave that to the professionals.
Like Qin Songyun.
Not bad, not bad. The goal of his research had been achieved. Next up—switch guns! Continue gathering material!
As netizens’ spontaneous suspicions were stirred up, public opinion grew increasingly unfavorable toward Lin You.
Especially that initial post, which had already climbed to the top of trending searches, seen by more and more players.
“Lin You—an undoubted genius in scientific research, yet an utterly ordinary, even mediocre game developer? In recent days, Lin You, the central figure of internet discourse, achieved a scientific breakthrough in an astonishingly short time—one that tens of thousands of NetDragon employees had failed to accomplish. This isn’t to say NetDragon is incompetent. After all, countless companies and researchers worldwide also failed to achieve breakthroughs of this caliber.
Among these organizations, NetDragon already ranks among the most advanced.
This only proves that Lin You possesses extraordinary talent in scientific research. Had he pursued this path, he would undoubtedly have become a shining star of tomorrow.
Yet Lin You did not choose science. Instead, he plunged headfirst into game development.
Netizens, dazzled by his scientific achievements, placed enormous expectations on him.
But the author has always harbored doubts.
Because breakthroughs in gaming hardware are feats of scientific talent, not game design. These are two entirely different industries, requiring completely distinct knowledge and skills—a gap that cannot be bridged by talent alone.
Now, Lin You has released his first game—Journey—and its reception has been underwhelming. Most players found it dull, confusing, and unengaging.
According to reports, numerous industry professionals played the game immediately after release, and their evaluations were overwhelmingly negative.
‘This game’s pursuit of artistry and aesthetics is evident, and it has developed a unique artistic style. For a beginner in game development, it’s quite impressive. However, games of this genre have little appeal in the market, doomed to be niche and unprofitable.’
Undeniably, Lin You possesses the next-generation gaming console—virtual reality hardware—yet produced a boring game.
This can only be described as a waste.
Note: This isn’t just a waste of technology and equipment. It’s a waste of Lin You’s immense scientific talent.
Perhaps his true calling isn’t sitting in an office, racking his brains to create unmarketable games.
Rather, he should don a white lab coat, step into a laboratory, and make greater contributions to scientific research!”
This article was clearly the work of a seasoned spin doctor.
First, it praised Lin You’s scientific prowess—an indisputable fact that couldn’t be refuted—while posing as someone who cared about him.
Then it whitewashed NetDragon—”It’s not that NetDragon is incompetent, it’s that Lin You is too exceptional. NetDragon is already far ahead of most.”
Next came the key argument—”Scientific research and game development are two entirely different fields.”
Without offering personal opinions, it simply cited “players” finding the game unenjoyable and “industry professionals” deeming it unmarketable, reinforcing an image of neutrality and objectivity.
Finally, the conclusion: “Lin You is no good at making games. He’d be better off doing scientific research.”
Skillfully, it framed scientific talent and game development ability as mutually exclusive, irreconcilable opposites.
The more it praised Lin You’s scientific achievements, the more it cemented the impression that he couldn’t make good games.
Now that’s spin mastery! Fully leveraging the public’s recent goodwill toward Lin You, it never contradicted popular sentiment, instead constantly reinforcing “We’re on your side” and “Pushing Lin You toward science is for his own good.” Through this masterful manipulation, it successfully implanted the idea in players’ minds: “Lin You’s games are terrible and unenjoyable.”
The editor-in-chief of Game Starscape nodded smugly. Not only had he pocketed a hefty sum, but he’d also earned players’ goodwill and a sterling reputation. Not bad—this money came easy.
After all, Lin You now had over 20 million followers—a certified trending topic. Even something as trivial as him smoking in public could hit the Trending Search.
Even the phrase “Lin You, go do scientific research” became a trending keyword, rapidly climbing the charts.
Xia Yi only noticed after her livestream audience pointed it out, and she was instantly furious.
“These shameless media outlets must’ve been paid off!”
“I don’t see what’s fun about this game at all. Did you get paid?” Some unfamiliar viewers even questioned her integrity.
Truthfully, players openly supporting Journey were few and far between.
And since Xia Yi and Game Base were the most vocal and effusive in their praise, many trolls had come sniffing around for a fight.
But Xia Yi wasn’t about to take it lying down. She instantly handed out permanent bans.
“I’ve already told you—I’ve played the VR version in advance. I swear on my reputation: this is an epoch-making game! It’s incredibly fun, and that’s the absolute truth! Feel free to clip this. When the game officially releases, you’re all welcome to come back and slap me in the face if I’m wrong!”
Still fuming, she added, “Lin You’s studio is just starting out. The initial batch of consoles will be limited. Logically, I should keep quiet and tell you all not to buy them—so I can snag one myself!”
“But I can’t stand these people spreading nonsense! They’re using inferior, backward-compatible hardware, playing just the first two levels—or even just the prologue—before scoring and reviewing it. Have they no shame?!”
Her eyes red with anger, she declared, “From now on, if I see anyone bringing this garbage into my stream, I’ll ban them on sight!”
She even logged into Lingxi and posted a defiant update, openly supporting Lin You despite the mockery.
There was no denying it—livestreaming really toughened a person up.
Though Xia Yi had never blown up in popularity, she was no longer the timid girl she once was. Arguing with trolls in chat was nothing. If you put her in a horror escape room now, she could calmly dismember a staff member playing a ghost—right in front of them.
Eventually, the internet uproar reached CloudDream Studio’s ears.
The one who noticed was Xiao chun.
Ironically, Lin You was wearing noise-canceling headphones, completely oblivious to Xiaomeng’s notifications on his phone.
Qin Songyun, busy finalizing negotiations with hardware manufacturers, was in meetings and didn’t notice either.
Only Xiao chun was free—but she’d been immersed in the Virtual world, gaming so intensely she’d forgotten to eat.
It wasn’t until the game reminded her of excessive playtime that she logged off to order takeout—her boyfriend forbade her from using knives or fire at home alone, and she refused to hire a maid.
Lately, though, she’d softened her stance. After realizing she wasn’t a complete burden—that she could still work and contribute meaningfully—she’d stopped obsessing over household chores.
While waiting for her food, Xiao chun stumbled upon the online storm and forwarded the posts to the three-person “CloudDream Studio” group chat.
But Lin You, having just removed his headphones, immediately said to the staff beside him: “Another gun! Let me show you what Yan Shuangying-level skills look like!”
As for the blinking notification light on his phone in the distance…
What’s that? Is it as cool as Yan Shuangying?
- Yan Shuangying (燕双鹰) is the name of a popular fictional character from a series of Chinese television dramas. He is typically portrayed as a lone hero or a highly skilled agent, often operating in historical or espionage settings, particularly during the Anti-Japanese War era.
- The character is known for his exceptional combat skills, often defying the laws of physics with his incredible marksmanship and tactical prowess, which has led to him becoming a bit of a cult figure and the subject of various internet memes in China due to the often over-the-top action sequences in his shows.
- The series is known for its action-packed plots where Yan Shuangying single-handedly takes on large groups of enemies, ambushes, and unravels conspiracies. The most prominent actor associated with the role is Zhang Zijian.
(End of chapter)